Santander has some 180,000 inhabitants and is on the ocean. It features a small historic center and a handful of beaches. Its most famous tourist attraction is the Magdalena Palace which was used as a summer getaway of Spanish royalty.

Taxis from the airport to Santander are about €20. The taxi stand is in front of the terminal building.

You can also hire a taxi with English speaking driver at the following tel. +34692240616 or by e-mail [email protected] , you can ask for the price of your trip (airport to the centre for €15) and make reservations. Credit cards are accepted.

The Alsa[27] city bus (tel 942211995) to Santander Bus Station (Estación de autobuses) departs daily at 6:30 and 6:50 AM and then every 30 minutes from 7:15 AM until 10:45 PM from directly outside the arrivals terminal (€2.9, December 2017). Duration of the journey: 10 minutes.

There are about 20 buses per day from Bilbao to Santander, journey time about 90 minutes. Single ticket €6.60 (March 2014), return €12.75 (December 2009). On the tickets it says the number where you sit in the bus ("asiento"). The numbers are on the windows in some buses.

You may also wish to take a ferry from Plymouth, England. The journey time is approximately 24 hours each way, and is an interesting journey, although you may wish to resist having a large meal too soon after departure from Plymouth if you are unused to sea travel as the Cantabrian Sea can be extremely rough.

Britanny Ferries[33] operates two sailings a week from the UK to Santander from mid-March to October, on Wednesdays from Portsmouth and on Sundays from Plymouth, average sailing time hours. operated by the modern MV Pont Aven [34]. From November until around December 20th and from Mid-February until March only the Plymouth - Santander service is operated with MS Bretagne [35], journey time 24 hrs. There is no service from around December 20th until mid-February.

Foot Santander is reasonably small. The distance from one end of town to the other are some 6km (4 miles) and can be walked in 2 hours along the coast road. Within the city center everything is within walking distance (15min walking).

Bus Public buses are available at reasonable prices. Each journey costs € 1.30 (May 2018). It costs more for journeys out of the city proper, or you can save 40% by buying a 10-journey gray-colored 'Bonobus' card at a 'Tabaco' shop. Each time you get into bus you shall put the card onto the reader which books the travel price. A 10 journey Bonobus ticket costs € 6 (December 2009). Specifically, buses can take you to the main beaches some 2-4km (2m) from the city center. Timetables and map for download: [36]. In each bus-stop there is a timetable and route of all city buses. Ayuntamiento is the city-center (close to the regional bus stop Plaza Estaciones and railway-station). From there to the Plaza de Italia, near to the beach Sardinero there are 10 bus-stops, so don't take this route on foot. Buses run quite frequently and an easy transportation.

Bicycle The city offers bicycle rental, for a very low price, at a number of locations around Santander (Jardines de Pereda, El Sardinero, La Magdalena). Bikes are loaned for the day, so get in early to avoid missing out.

Bullfighting Museum (Museo Taurino), Calle de Jerónimo Sainz de la Maza, ☎942341204, [3]. Jun 15 to Sep 15: Tue to Fri 6 to 9 pm, Sat 11 am to 2 pm. In the lower floor of the bullring, in the western part of the city, near the Plaza de México, with bullfighting memorabilia, posters, photos and paintings, and colourful suits of bullfighters from all over Spainadmission free. edit

Santander Ban (Edificio del Banco Santander), Paseo Pereda 9-12 (opposite Pereda Gardens, not open to the public, in the city center, best reached with bus no. 1,3,4.C1,4.C2,9 and 10), ☎942206100. edit

Banco Español de Crédito, Hernan Cortes 11. building in the eclectic style of 1900edit

Plaza Porticada. constructed as new city center after the fire of 1941edit

Casa Pardo, Paseo de Perez Galdos. House from 1915, also called 'Palacio de los Botin' with spectacular views over the bay, one of the most splendid mansions of the city, at Sardinero, reached with bus no 10edit

Casa Pombo, Plaza de Jose Antonio 3 (mansion of 1875, in the city center, reached with bus no 1). edit

Post Office Building (Edificio de Correos), Avenida de Alfonso XII, ☎942223023. An impressive building, one of the landmarks of Santander, builtin 1915,in the city center, reached with bus no 1 and 8edit

Edificio de Los Arcos de Botin, Hernan Cortes 21. Neoclassic building on the north side of Piaza Pombo, near the harbour, good example of 19th cent. architecture, visitors are not allowed inside, in the city center, reached with bus no 1edit

Edificio de Los Pinares, Duque de Santo Mauro (near Primera Playa, between Calle Duque de Santo Mauro and Calle Joaquín Costa). Impressive private home of ship owner Francisco García, with an outstanding view on the beach as well as Renaissance and Baroque elements of architectureedit

Edificio de Viviendas, Calle Castelar, 15 (in the city center, reached with bus no 1). One of the city's grandest mansions of the early 1900'S in the historic district along the Calle Castelar and Paseo de Pereda.edit

Paseo de Pereda y Calle Castelar, (in the city center, reached with bus no 1). 1550 m long street with nice views on the harbour and the cathedral and many buildings from the 18th to 20th cent., including Puerto Chico, Dique de Gamazo, Cuesta del Gas, and Banco Vitalicioedit

Plaza de José Antonio (Plaza Pombo), (Calle de Hernán Cortés and General Mola are on the north and south, and Pancho Cossío and Las Infantas on the east and west). charming plaza with colorful flowerbeds and musician bandstandedit

Alameda de Oviedo, San Fernando, s/n. in the western part of the city center, running from Cuatro Caminos Roundabout in the west, to Plaza de Numancia in the east, specifically between Calle de San Fernando and Calle Vargas.edit

Jardines de Pereda, Paseo de Pereda, s/n. Santander's most famous park with a lot of trees, bushes and flowers, a pond, several sculptures, a music pavilion, a monument to the writer José María de Pereda (1833-1906), a fountain dedicated to the Cantabrian author, Concha Espina (1877-1953), the Fuente de los Meones and the city tourist office nearby.edit

Parque de Altamira, Paseo del General Dávila, s/n (in the north of the city near the commercial center between Paseo del General Dávila and Calle Vía Cornelia). botanical garden in city center, covering a total area of 16000m2.edit

Jardines de Piquío, Avenida de Castañeda, s/n. occupying an area of 13000 m2, with fine views on the Ensenada del Sardinero, Cabo Menor to the north and Magdalena Peninsula to the south. On a promontory between Primera and Segunda Playa (First and Second Beaches, originally known as the "Piquillo" or the "Punta del Rostro" (Face Point).edit

Parque del Doctor González Mesones, Avenida del Stadium, s/n (in theeast of the city near El Sardinero and the football stadium). park with an area of 40000m2,with fountains, ornate stone benches with heraldic shields and a statue of the poet José Luis Hidalgo.edit

Parque de La Magdalena, Avenida de La Magdalena, s/n, ☎942272504. 8 am to 10 pm daily. With 25000 m2 the biggest park in the city, surrounding the Palacio Real (Royal Palace). It was deserted until the end of the 19th century and houses a hermitage dedicated to Saint Magdalena and a defensive castle overlooking the bay. It has a zoo on the rocky cliffs on the northern end, with lions, seals, penguins and polar bears and a galleon nearby that belonged to the sailor and adventurer Vital Alsar.edit

Parque de Cabo Mayor, Avenida del Faro, s/n, (situated near El Sardinero beaches.). Covering an area of more than 100,000m2, the park is extremely spectacular on windy days, when the waves crash onto the cliffs. The Faro de Cabo Mayor is the oldest lighthouse in Cantabria. It was built in 1839, is 30m high and its light can be seen from 29 miles away. The rock formation of the Puente del Diablo (Devil's Bridge) and the Panteón del Inglés (Englishman's Pantheon) is nearby.edit

5 city walks: go to the Santander Tourist Office in the city center (Old Market, near the Old Banco de Santander) and get a free city guide; the free city guide describes these 5 itineraries. [39] These 5 itineraries are enough to keep you busy for 1-2 days.

boat round trip: There is a regular boat service through the Santander Bay, boats run from Santander to Pedreña, Somo and back. For a 45-minutes round-trip you have to pay €3,90 and the boats depart at least every hour.

Enjoy the beaches. Walk up to the lighthouse at Cabo Mayor, visit the museum and enjoy the view from the top.

International Charter Group - [40] - Yacht charter and sailing, one of the worlds largest acht charter companies, can take care of all charter requirements, from bareboat to crewed in the Santander. Operating from nine offices worldwide (USA, Spain, UK, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Switzerland, Caribbean, Honk Kong and Dubai).

Other things to consider: Santander is a city in North Spain and weather is similar to North Germany. At 4-6 September 2013 it has rained, so even if you go there in summer, please take an umbrella or rain coat. It can rain any time. It is a windy place and there can be fog in the morning. Evenings tobacco shops might be closed so if you smoke, please try o buy cigarettes in the day or keep some coins, in some bars there are cigarette automatons (4,90 Euros for Marlboro Light - September 2013). A lot of old age pensioners are around and people have a high-living standard, so food in some restaurants and other daily needs might be expensive. Please beware that unfortunately there are not so many people who can speak English, therefore it is advised to learn some basic words how to order something in restaurants etc.

Playa de Mataleñas, between Cabo Mayor and Cabo Menor, the 'luxury' beach of Santander,

Playa de Somocuevas, Liencres (Piélagos), with fine golde sands,

Playa de Valdearenas, Liencres (Piélagos), fine sand dunes,

Playa Primera de El Sardinero, Plaza de Italia, the most famous beach of Santander,

Playa Segunda de El Sardinero, Playa de Castaneda.

Somo Beach is a little bit outside of Santander. It can be reached from downtown Santander by boat. Boats leave every 10 minutes and the boat ride takes about 10 minutes. Somo Beach is about 3 km long and is less crowded than beaches in Santander.

Centro Cultural Caja Cantabria, Tantín, 25, ☎942204300. The buildings is also known as "Modesto Tapia". It was designed by the Catalan architect, Domenech i Muntaner, a contemporary of Gaudí, and was inaugurated by Alfonso XIII in 1907. It incorporates many Modernist architectural features and was completely re-modeled in 1994. The Social and Cultural Office of Cantabria Bank offers theater performances, rock, pop and jazz concerts, conferences, art exhibits and workshops in drama, painting and photography.edit

Palacio de Festivales de Cantabria, Gamazo, s/n, ☎942361606. Designed by Javier Sáenz de Oiza, opened in 1991, classical music concerts, ballet and dance performances, home to Cantabria's School of Dramatic Arts edit

The Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo[42] offers summer courses for university students, including Spanish language courses for foreigners, that take place both at the Magdalena Palace and at Residencia Las Llamas.

The Universidad de Cantabria[43] offers Spanish language courses of 4 to 10 weeks duration throughout the year through the Centro de Idiomas (CIUC). CIUC also coordinates exchange students at the university.

The best area to eat fish is the district close to fishing harbour (Barrio Pesquero), although locals usually regard this as a tourist trap.

Santander is known amongst Spaniards for its many Regma ice-creamery outlets. At times it can seem that they have an outlet on every corner. Their very generous serving sizes of 8 popular flavours of ice cream have been melting down the hands of locals for years, even throughout the winter months. Other chains such as Capri on Paseo de Pereda provide a greater range of choices.

El Estanque de Gama, Gama (Next to the N634), ☎942104202, [19]. One of the most beautiful restaurants in Cantabria. 20 min. from Santander towards Bilbao. It is also an elegant cocktail bar in the middle of the Santoña`s Nature Reserve Marshes.€20. edit

In the summer, everybody starts their night at Plaza de Cañadío, in the centre of the old town. It is a hive for young Santanderinos and exchange students. It is surrounded on three sides by various bars and restaurants. During the school year, Rio de la Pila becomes the new Cañadio. It is cheapest if you buy your alcohol of choice from the grocery store beforehand. These locations are where most drinking of calimocho - the red wine/coca-cola combo favoured by young Spaniards - takes place.

Later in the night (from about 2AM) the drinking action moves to bars and clubs in the area, including La Embajada, Retros, Cafe del Sol, La Rana Verde, Opium and many others. Three major dance clubs are located nearby - Malaspina, El Divino and Rocaverde.

Santoña: recommended by local people, where fish food must be very good (September 2013). ALSA buses on the way from Bilbao to Santander do not stop here, probably easiest way is to rent a car and go there.

Castro-Urdiales: seaside village east of Santander with a nice Gothic church and lighthouse.

Laredo (Spain): another seaside village to the East, the old quarter is worth a visit.

Potes: this small village is the key to the Picos de Europa mountain range (which is a National Park), and the Liébana region. Good eating place, and the local orujo (a strong spirits drink) is highly recommended.

Reinosa: the main town on southern Cantabria, it's a good base to explore the Cantabrian mountain range (Cordillera Cantábrica), with the Alto Campoo sky resort, the Roman city of Julióbriga and several Medieval churches close by.

San Vicente de la Barquera - Sea-side fishing village, about 30 minutes by bus. See the fishing vessels unload what Madrid will be eating tomorrow. Fantastic tides, so stay for at least 6 hours. Nice Roman bridge.

Valles Pasiegos: for a taste of rural Cantabria, no better place than the Valley of the Pas river, especially Toranzo, Selaya, Villacarriedo, Vega de Pas, San Roque de Riomiera and San Pedro del Romeral. Try the typical sobaos and quesadas, two traditional desserts.